Republic of Ireland fell 1-0 to France in their final qualifier, missing out on automatic World Cup qualification. Despite the narrow defeat in Grenoble, Ireland secured third place in the challenging League A group containing France, Netherlands and Poland. Manager Carla Ward expressed pride in her team's performance throughout the campaign.

Ireland became the first team promoted to League A not to be relegated straight back, securing three wins including a notable victory over Netherlands. The team recovered from an early concession to Melvine Malard but couldn't overcome Thiniba Samoura's red card and Abbie Larkin's missed chance to equalize in the second half.

The third-place finish secures Ireland a seeded play-off in autumn as they pursue World Cup qualification. Ward emphasized her team's growth throughout the campaign, noting they will be a team others want to avoid in the play-offs despite the disappointment of missing direct qualification.